Carol Interview

[Smallthorne clampet]

2 hours ago, robf said:

The thing I took from the interview was that the reasoning given was poor performances and lack of discipline. She argues (rightly) that those two are the manager's responsibility.

However, there was no recognition of the problems a poor January window brought - and presumably that was because that's not the manager's responsibility but rather that of the DoF!

For me, we had a window where we clearly needed forward replacements as soon as the window opened (not bringing in an injured forward on the final day) and where if we lost a seasoned left-footed defender we shouldn't be replacing him with a rookie teenager on loan. Neither of those things were the manager's responsibility but arguably weakened his hand as second-half of the season he had a side which didn't threaten to score (until some forwards were fit) and which was leakier at the back. With a side weakened upfront and at the back is it any wonder our performances dipped? 

If we do go down , the January transfer window will be the biggest factor in this . 

[eh up nah]

1 hour ago, eh up nah said:

1 hour ago, smithie said:

It's hard to imagine the lack of funds in January coming as a total surprise to DC if the club were on top of the finances - it can't have been an overnight decision to cut back.

Also, going against the simplistic "rubbish since Christmas" narrative - we gave Derby, Posh and Barnsley a game at home and were excellent at Portsmouth. We were walloped 4-0 at Exeter and Oxford long before Father Christmas and the reindeer started dropping off presents. Rory Holden will have to explain how he missed at Cheltenham, and Matt Taylor likewise against Burton. This "downed tools" is to me a red herring - which player would visibly not try in front of thousands of spectators?

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I get that, particularly the funding.

Dont the rest of the performance bits you mention further question what we've done?

If its down to a few bits of bad luck in front of goal and some defeats when we possibly deserved more, why has the owner made a point of saying its down to performances?

Sacking a manager, one year into a five year deal,  because performances have dipped (and she used Burton as the starting point, so only a month and half) surely makes no sense and smacks of panic and short termism.

Two things we constantly get told that Vale don't do anymore.

[sheffieldclayhead]

Listened to the 23 minutes of the interview - credit for doing the interview and ansering the questions bu for me

1. Did not really tell us much new

2. Reference to DC's Daughter massive mistake - why make it?

3. If we overachieved last season (which was kind of admitted) why complain about results / sack the manager if the players were there to gain promotion and not for L1 survival, especially with the poor transfer windows.

4. If the Burton match was the turning point (as mentioned numerous times) then sack DC then and give AC or whoever a fitting chance of 8 games left not 4 with some of those games very 'winnable' as was being said. This is the biggest question for me if L1 survival was now the priority after a poor trasnfer window and declining preformances.

5. Where was DF, he should have been involved, he is after all the DoF and 'everthing of the pitch is down to him'. Felt like Carol needed support in the interview and if DF walks the walk he needs to talk the talk.

Do not get me wrong Carol has my support and thanks all day long, she and Kevin saved PVFC and have transformed it in a very short space of time. As fans we understand that the ground and pitch has cost more due to the lack of investment by him who should not be named. I just think the sacking of DC has been mistimed and handled badly. Yes the manager is responsible for results and is usually the one who goes BUT in this instance responsiblty also lies with DoF, the players, the poor transfer window and ultimately then the owners.

I liked DC, who is a good manager and thank him for last season where pride and the good times returned to Vale Park. As said football is a results based business so I will get behind AC who did a wonderful job last season in DC's absence and hopefully we will survive in L1.

VTID

 

 

 

[JRC]

I'd agree there wasn't really much said. We'll never know the whole truth as some of the discussions will have been (and should remain) confidential.  There is some truth that performances have taken a massive dip in recent weeks and were showing little sign of improvement.  In terms of financial support sadly all managers in all industries have to make do with the resources they are given. That's what makes managing difficult. 

It all reminds me a little of the John McGrath sacking years ago. I was genuinely sad when he went. Sadly most managerial tenures end in the sack; that's the way of it in football. There are normally underlying reasons behind poor runs, besides the manager. Having 2 centrehalves out for nearly all the bad run and no forwards at the start of it certainly contributed. Hall was certainly a big miss and not really replaced. Personally I'd have given him the rest of the season, although I've rarely wanted a manager to go. We have the players to get results against Bristol and Charlton so see how it goes. If we put in good performances in the next 2 games it was a good decision; if we get no points the a poor one.

[Brian Johnson]

30 minutes ago, sheffieldclayhead said:

 

3. If we overachieved last season (which was kind of admitted) why complain about results / sack the manager if the players were there to gain promotion and not for L1 survival, especially with the poor transfer windows

Do not get me wrong Carol has my support and thanks all day long, she and Kevin saved PVFC and have transformed it in a very short space of time. As fans we understand that

 

 

 

This

[sheffieldclayhead]

3 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

This

Suppose your right there and I answered my own question  🤣

[Trumpingtonvale]

3 hours ago, Rampant Zebra said:

I suspect that Scott Brown may have had influence in our inability to sign a decent keeper. I believe that he wasn't happy about the way he was treated when he left so probably told his goalkeeping mates about it from his perspective. 

Yes that pesky Goalkeeper’s Union.  The country’s gone to pot.  No wonder there were only no good scabs prepared to play for us.

[valeparklife]

1 hour ago, leedsvaliant said:

3 hours ago, valeparklife said:

Carol mentions the Burton game a few times as the turning point.
I've seen fans doing that annoying, "in the know" cryptic thing they do and saying "I've heard rumours of something around that time, but don't want to mention it".
Anyone know anything?

Lots of rumours flying about. Something apparently happened when they went to Cheltenham races and other things about Clarke but not sure whether this is the place for gossip.

It's a public forum, surely the best place? 

[valefan16]

Interesting, weren't the races the week before Burton?

[leedsvaliant]

It's a public forum, surely the best place? 

I agree, but they're just rumours at this stage and don't want to spread salacious gossip if not true. Although I have heard the same thing from a couple of different sources. I've been told a few things today and not sure what to believe but it's like Eastenders if true!

One thing I did hear was that Autonet takeover is likely a goer from someone within the club.

[Brian Johnson]

Just now, leedsvaliant said:

I agree, but they're just rumours at this stage and don't want to spread salacious gossip if not true. I've been told a few things today and not sure what to believe but it's like Eastenders if true!

.

What you been told?

[Packmoor_vale]

23 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

I agree, but they're just rumours at this stage and don't want to spread salacious gossip if not true. Although I have heard the same thing from a couple of different sources. I've been told a few things today and not sure what to believe but it's like Eastenders if true!

One thing I did hear was that Autonet takeover is likely a goer from someone within the club.

Autonet or dono will not be buying the club 

 

[osprey]

I don’t fully buy into the idea that it was the January window that has caused most issues on the field. First half of the season we were doing better than ok so can understand that there was an argument to not need to change the squad at that stage. Unrealistic to think that we would have gone to the playoffs but definitely relegation wasn’t thought possible in January.

losing Hall was not good but if Jones had stayed fit would that have covered that area ? 

For me it’s the number and timing of the injuries that have been more critical and you can’t just keep increasing your squad size to cover for the number and type of injuries that Vale seem to regularly pick up. 
 

without the injuries to key players I don’t think we would be where we are. 

[Doha]

27 minutes ago, leedsvaliant said:

One thing I did hear was that Autonet takeover is likely a goer from someone within the club.

 

Clarke, Flitcroft and huge decisions at Port Vale - Every word from Carol Shanahan - Stoke-on-Trent Live

WWW.STOKESENTINEL.CO.UK

 

Quote

 

“I had lunch with Ian Donaldson last week. He said to me (talking about unfounded rumours) ‘do you know, in the last month you and I have fallen out, I have wanted all my signs taken down, I have wanted to pull my sponsorship from you……but I have also been going to invest, be a director and buy the club!’

“I said, at any point, did anybody get everything right?’ He said, no.

“Ninety nine per cent of rumours you have heard are completely false. The truth is Ian and I are very good friends, we know each other through Synectics and Autonet. I have known him a long time and he is a really good friend for me as far as a leader of an organisation is concerned.

“He is one of my mentors, my confidantes. We are having lunch again next week. He is very committed to helping us as a football club.

“Sometimes he will help in ways that is just helping me as a person, but he is a canny businessman so he made sure the sponsorship he puts into the club is something we actually need.

“Sometimes you will get a sponsor that does it because they want something from it. What he wants from it is the (Vale) success. He is a local lad, he is from Kidsgrove. So, Port Vale success and being part of that journey is important to him.

“He has our old boardroom. He took it on for three years and paid for it up front so we could then use that money to develop our new boardroom. So, we do things like that.”

 

[leedsvaliant]

Autonet or dono will not be buying the club 
 

We'll see. It wouldn't surprise me if it happened at some point.